


Ringside Seats

by NakhudaNyx



Series: Seasons Of The Commonwealth [3]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Animal Attack, Budding Frienship, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Male-Female Friendship, Surgery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-10-22 12:27:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10697016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NakhudaNyx/pseuds/NakhudaNyx
Summary: Nyx gets injured. Danse saves the day.And the summers are relentless in the wastes.March's entry for my self-imposed #12ficsof2017 (yes, it's late, sorry!)





	Ringside Seats

**Author's Note:**

> I took some liberties with the effectiveness and possible uses of stimpacks, i hope it makes sense and you don't mind too much! i have also never needed emergency surgery, so I'm kinda spit-balling how it would go, especially with the limited supplies available in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
> 
> And yes, this is very late, but i couldn't figure out how to finish it, it just kept going so I had to set it aside for a while before it started making sense again.
> 
> As always, it's un-betaed.

“Oh my god, why is it so damned hot?!” Nyx complained upon stepping out of the shelter the duo holed up in for the night. She checked her Pip-Boy. “Yeah. It’s only 7:32 am in late September, it shouldn’t be this hot at all, let alone this damned early!”

Danse sighed, knowing this would be a long day. He gave her a sympathetic shrug, feeling the heat himself. It had been a hot week, the commonwealth withering in a heat wave, and Nyx’s mood gradually soured with each day spent outside. Being in power armor had a great many benefits, but roasting in them was not one. They had a lot of ground to cover today, starting from Salem and heading down to the BADTFL Regional Office on an errand for Haylen. She had a hunch they’d find some rare bit of tech Danse couldn’t fathom a use for.

“Admittedly, it is already quite warm, but what does the month have to do with anything?” Danse was exceedingly fascinated with her past, considering she was born 235 or so years ago, and he had a feeling that a hot September summer day was on her lengthy list of normal things that weren’t always so.

“Well, typically September was when the leaves would start changing color, signaling the beginning of the fall season. December to February was winter time, March to May was the spring season, June to August was summer, and September to November was Fall. I guess the bombs screwed that up too.” She ended on a dejected note as she started walking.

That was the risk in asking about her past: depressing her mood. Sometimes she enjoyed telling her companion about her old life, but other times it just made her realize how much she misses it.

“It won’t start cooling off for a few more weeks. I’d say maybe a month and a half or so.”

“Eh, it can’t be helped I guess. No use crying over spilled milk. Let’s just make tracks as best we can so we’re not out longer than we must be. Haylen better need this thingy really bad or I might get testy!”

Danse smiled at that. Nyx and Haylen were actually quite good friends. He often wondered if regarding each other with the ‘sister’ moniker was less about the unity of the Brotherhood and more a bond closer to that of actual siblings. They certainly fight like siblings, and they have developed a bond strong enough to hold full conversations by look alone.  And if you angered one, you angered them both, a lesson Rhys has learned in spades from his near constant belittlement of anyone who didn’t hold a higher position of command as him.

As the day progressed, annoyance began to turn into exhaustion as the temperature continued to climb. Luckily, the duo encountered very little opposition on the road, save for the occasional mole rat and bloatfly towards the beginning of their day.

So focused on the miserable heat, Danse didn’t immediately realize just how easy their trek had been, but not encountering anything for this long was highly suspicious, especially given that they were both in less-than-stealthy power armor.

Danse went on high alert, but it came too late as a blood-freezing roar ripped through the calm of the day.

The Alpha Deathclaw emerged from a nearly hidden cave looking hungry and supremely pissed. He sniffed the air to get a better location on the team that made a mad dive into some tall grass.

“Oh no, we must be near his nest.” Nyx said in a quiet tone, as not to blow their already feeble cover. She absentmindedly ran a quick finger over one of the three identical jagged scars crossing her left eye, a gift from a juvenile Deathclaw she received fresh out of the vault.

A deep grunting coming from behind them has Nyx and Danse look to each other in fear. Danse risked a glance behind them to confirm their fears: they were caught between a Deathclaw and a mangy looking Yao Guai.

The two beasts noticed each other almost simultaneously, and charged at each other in a flurry of claws, teeth, and brute strength.

“Shit.” Not the most eloquent the knight has ever been, but the sentiment was spot on.

“Ok, we can make it out of this. I suggest we let them fight for a while and then finish them off once they’re weakened.” Danse hunched lower to the ground as he planned.

“I concur. Let’s ease our way back into the copse of trees behind us and wait for the right moment to strike.” Nyx gestured behind her to a thicket of dead, weathered trees that were perfect for hiding in, even in their hulking suits.

Danse nodded and took the lead, with Nyx lagging behind to keep a wary eye on the monsters embroiled in a battle for dominance.

Suddenly, the Deathclaw picked up the Yao Guai by the skull and slammed the creature to the broken pavement with a sickening crunch. The Yao Guai let out a growly huff of air as it died.

Silence fell in the clearing, interrupted only by the heavy breathing of the victor, until the loud snap of a branch breaking under Danse’s boot broke the scene. The soldiers looked to each other in fear and alarm, while the Deathclaw looked ready to defend his nest once again.

Danse decided to go for broke and yelled out a quick ‘RUN!’ before heading for the trees as fast as his legs could carry him, reaching for his laser rifle on the way.  Unfortunately, the beast was ready and leaped to tackle the closest target he could reach: Nyx.

Danse could hear the whoosh of air leaving her lungs as the beast slammed Nyx back to the ground and started trying to tear her armor off. He wedged himself in between a couple of trees and began to open fire on the glowing lizard, angering it more than anything as his shots ricocheted off the thick skin of its back. He switched tactics and brought out Nyx’s heavily modified minigun, hoping the nearly full clip would be enough to at least slow the animal down if not outright kill it.

As he fired up the weapon she named “Overkiller”, he saw Nyx’s chest plate being tossed aside and pure horror filled his chest. The Deathclaw went in for a bite at her right side, but Nyx was ready for it, blocking the attack with her forearm, although a sharp yell told him damage had been taken despite the steel plating guarding her.

Danse sent out a silent thanks to whatever power may be in play that the minigun ripped through the back and right leg of the animal, finally getting his attention enough to abandon his assault on the knight. Danse smooshed himself deeper into the trees to shield himself from the Deathclaw’s fury as he let the legs of the beast take all the damage so it couldn’t move to attack the knight again. This gave Nyx enough time to get out her current favorite weapon, a unique Gauss rifle aptly named The Last Minute, and together they took the hulking beast down for good.

“Ad Victoriam.” Danse said with a hint of contempt over the corpse before turning to check on and congratulate his knight. Nyx swayed before collapsing, and Danse could plainly see why. He rushed over to her and put pressure on the gnarled flesh of her right side, fishing out a stimpack to help staunch the flow of blood and cursing at their luck that there was only the one left in their med kit _. We should’ve stopped at a chem station weeks ago._ He knew they were somewhere between Listening Post Bravo, Gladius’ original fall back point, and the National Guard Training Yard from Gladius’ initial recon. He took a quick look at the map on Nyx’s Pip-Boy and saw that they were, luckily, close to an allied settlement: County Crossing. Taking a general heading, he hauled Nyx up by her uninjured side and started at as fast of a pace as he could manage with the added weight of his encased partner.

Danse made a call to Preston to see if Doc weathers was nearby, to which Preston assured Danse that the good doctor would be there even if he had to drag the man to County Crossing himself. Danse was once again grateful of all of Nyx’s friends and connections. If something needed doing, Nyx has the network and resources to get it done.

Danse threw a couple of frag grenades at the training yard to ward off any ghouls resting by the entrance and made a quick final push to the south-east as the settlement’s wind turbines came into view. By the time they came across the settlement’s patrols, Nyx was ashen and incoherently mumbling, the stimpack keeping her alive but the jostling she had to endure on the way opened her wound even more. “Hand in there, soldier. We’re almost there.” Danse fought to keep a level tone, but his worry was still evident. He couldn’t lose another ~~friend~~ member of his team, he just couldn’t.

Doctor Weathers was waiting for the pair at the main gate along with Preston, who made good on his promise. Danse was highly suspicious of the doctor, but the mere fact that his knight would be receiving skilled medical attention lowered his hackles a little.

“Take her to the surgery center, and tell me what happened.” Danse explained their ordeal and the minute measure he could take to keep her alive, shock and worry plain on Preston and the doctor’s faces. “Well, you’re lucky to have made it out of there with just the General’s injuries. The stimpack you gave her is probably the only thing keeping her alive, judging by the amount of blood on her armor and her pallor. Her heartbeat is thready, but evident. I’d risk a premature congrats to you, Paladin.” The doctor gave a quick pat to Danse’s shoulder before prepping for surgery. “Preston, will you bring Nicky and Stella here? I’m gonna need their help.” Preston nodded before rushing off. “Paladin, while I scrub in, could you remove the general from her armor? And do be gently with her, would you?”

“Of course, doctor, anything to help.” Danse moved her to the foot of the operating table so she wouldn’t have far to go once freed. Danse heard her mumble something about ‘undies’, whatever that meant, as he reached for the release valve on her suit. As she fell into his arms, he hazarded a guess as to what she meant: she was wearing a sweat and blood soaked white tank top, and no pants. It had been an embarrassingly long time since Danse had even seen that much bare skin, let alone touched it, and he was embarrassed and a tad disgusted with himself at his subconscious reaction to such softness. _She’s your partner, your injured partner, you tactless asshole. Get a hold of yourself, and have some decorum._ He averted his eyes and laid her down on the gurney, before turning around and threading a hand through his hair, removing her from his sight completely.

“We’re here, doctor.” A young woman breezed through the doors with an equally young man in tow. Danse turned to see the newcomers, noting that they looked like mirror images of each other.

“Ah, good. Thank you for your haste. Paladin, these are the twins, Nikolas and Stella. They will assist me in today’s operation.” Danse nodded in acknowledgement. Stella and Nicky had dirt brown hair and were both tall and lean. Their most striking feature, the one feature other than their opposing gender that was not identical, was their eyes. Stella had a green left eye and a brown right eye, while Nicky had a brown left eye and a blue right eye. It was a tad off-putting for Danse. “Paladin, you wouldn’t happen to know what the general’s blood type is, would you?” Weathers asked as he cut the tank off Nyx, making Danse stare at the wall like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

“All pertinent medical information is provided on her Holotags. Brotherhood standard.”

“Excellent. Nicky, get the general under anesthesia and get an IV started. Stella, please set up the instruments and then clean the wound. I’ll peek at her tags.” The doctor unclasped Nyx’s tags to get a better look, and then gave a quite colorful curse. “Of course, she’s AB-.”

“Is that a problem?” Danse knew little about blood types, other than most can’t be mixed.

“It’s pretty rare. I’d be lucky to have enough to get her through surgery. I doubt I’ll have enough for her recovery as well. Oh, general, you continue to surprise me. What to do. Stella, start intubation, we must work double time to try and conserve the blood supply. Nicky, go get all of the AB- we have on hand.”

“Um, Doc? I’m a universal donor.” Danse raised his tags for the doctor’s inspection.

“Thank the stars. Stella, run and get some snack cakes and water for the paladin. We don’t want him to pass out.” She nodded and ran off. “Paladin, if you could pump this bag to breathe for her, Nicky will start pepping you for a transfusion while I get started on her wound. Just steer clear of that left arm of hers, it’s definitely broken. I’ll set that once her side is repaired.”

Stella returned with the foodstuffs for Danse as Weathers retracted the damaged skin to repair the organs and set the ribs damaged by the attack, Danse watching in a mixture of boundless curiosity and abject horror. Nyx’s power armor prevented most of the possible damage to her major organs, although damage was sustained to her appendix and right kidney as well as three fractured ribs. The stimpack Danse administered had begun to fix up the organ damage, so Weathers only needed to finish the work. Weathers had been developing a sort of super-stimpack salve to use during surgeries for the past few months, and he felt confident that the formula was ready for use. He tried it first on Nyx’s bottom floating rib, and the fracture started repairing minutes later. Weathers let out a victory laugh, startling the three observers who were in awe of the feat.

“That’s amazing, doctor.” Nicky stated, with nods of assent from Stella and Danse backing up his declaration.

“Why thank you, my boy. I’ve been working on this salve for a while now, and this is my first live trial. Let’s see how it handles flesh, hmm?” An identical reaction occurred with her stitched up kidney, although a mark was still visible from the trauma, the flesh scarring a delicate, shiny pink. “Wonderful! This will cut recovery time down immensely. I’m gonna make a fortune! I wonder if it works once the organ or appendage is removed as well. I’ll try with her appendix when we’re done here, I can’t salvage the damage to that one and she doesn’t need it anyway. Stella, please put the appendix in liquid nitrogen, dear. Thank you.” The doctor quickly stitched the general up as best he could, and the applied the remaining salve to the area to seal it up quicker.

The mad scientist routine aside, Danse was floored with the success of the operation. He’d have to tell Cade about this advancement once he was back on the Prydwin.

“Twins, would you take these two to the recovery room and begin the transfusion? I’d like to get cleaned up so I can try the salve on the general’s appendix.”

“Yes, doctor.” Came their tandem replies.

* * *

 

Nyx spent what felt like an era in a state of near-consciousness. For a long while, she kind of felt like she was floating, before gravity slowly pulled her back down to earth. And with this shift came fear and pain. _Oh, god, I’m dead. Or dying. That damned Deathclaw killed me. What about Danse? Is he ok? Dead too? Oh, I hope Overkiller tore the damned beast up to shreds before it did me in._

_Wait, if I’m dead, why am I in pain? Would I even be thinking this if I was dead? What the fuck is going on!?_

Nyx slowly opened her eyes, the lids feeling like they weighed a hundred pounds each. The severity of the bright lights and the setting sun slowly faded into a picture she could more easily comprehend. She saw her IV tube first, and followed it to the edge of the whitest sheet she’s ever seen in the wasteland. She saw rubber covered metal floors and wooden walls before focusing on the figure next to her, a faraway look in his eyes and a tube like hers emerging from the crook of his elbow.

Groggily, “You got something in your arm.” She smacked her lips to soothe the dryness.

Danse chuckled. “Yeah, and so do you.” He leaned forward to situate himself better in her field of vision.

“I’m not dead. And I hurt.”

This earned her a soft smile. “No, you’re not dead, and you’re gonna be sore for a while.”

“Oh, okay. I’m gonna take a nap then.” She yawned. Things always made more sense after a good nap.

“I’ll be here.” Danse squeezed her good had and lent back in his chair so settle for a nap himself once the transfusion was complete.

* * *

 

The next time Nyx came to, she did so with her wits intact; and with Doc Weathers of all people poking at her.

“Ow, that hurts! Jeez, what the hell?” Her outburst startled Danse awake with a snort and caused the doctor to drop his pen in surprise.

“So sorry, but you’re awake earlier than I expected.” Weathers put a gentle but firm hand on her shoulder to keep her from moving too much. “Please try to stay still while I assess the progress of your healing.”

She sighed. “Well fine, but be gentle. Meanwhile, Danse, why the hell is Doc Weathers poking and prodding at me?”

He sat up and rested a hand on the mattress. “Well, tell me what you remember and I’ll fill in the blanks. Deal?”

“Okay. I remember having ring-side seats to a Deathclaw-Yao Guai showdown. We were going to make our retreat but the Deathclaw won the fight before we could move out. He was a big motherfucker. Heavy as hell, too. He tried his damnedest to kill me, and I was sure he’d succeed, but you made it to the trees and started firing on him. That’s all I can remember for sure, though I did have a weird ass dream about tubes coming out of our arms or something. I can’t reconcile that one yet.” Nyx’s hand unconsciously drifted to Danse’s during her recollection, and he gave it a reassuring squeeze knowing the memory of the attack will probably haunt her for a good long while.

“We did, actually, have a tube in our arms. I gave you a blood transfusion. As for the fight, your memory is sound, although I’d put good caps on the notion that you were the one to actually take the bastard down,” At her confused look, he expanded. “I’m not sure how you did it, but you managed to get up once the Deathclaw was distracted enough to move off you, and you started firing on the beast yourself using The Last Minute. I think I know why it has that moniker now. After the beast was down for good, you collapsed. I used our last stimpack on you and carried you here, to County Crossing. I called Preston on the way and made sure there was medical help ready and waiting for you to get here.”

“I can’t believe I don’t remember any of that.” She said, shocked.

“Well, you were nearly at Death’s door when we got here, so it’s understandable." She took a few minutes to process the events that lead her here.

“Is Preston still here?”

“No, he got called back to the Castle. Apparently the Mirelurks are being stubborn again.”

A throat-clearing sound broke the reverie. “Not to interrupt, but I’m done with my assessment, and I recommend a few day’s bedrest. You should be fit to travel by the end of the week.” Weathers patted Nyx’s knee. “The cast will have to stay on for about eight weeks though. The beast snapped your ulna in half like a twig, and your radius is fractured in two places, my guess would be that he tried to bite your arm off but your armor prevented the total loss.”

Nyx winced at the doctor’s prognosis on her arm, and then sighed in exasperation. “Ay! That means two months of light duty.” Danse’s nod confirmed it. She hated light busywork, it felt like she wasn’t using her time effectively, and this tendency was a main reason of why she made a piss-poor housewife. She was always active, and had always craved adventure and new experiences.

“Yes,” Danse said, “but I’m sure Ingram would love your insight and expertise in the pit.”

“Well, if I have to be grounded, so to speak, the pit would be my preferred assignment.” Danse gave a knowing smile before sobering up.

“Well, whatever you do, make sure you take it easy and I’ll contact you when it’s time to take the cast off and start your strength training.” Weathers insisted, before making his leave.

Simultaneous ‘Thank you, doc’s sounded from the duo, making them chuckle.

A somber look crossed Danse’s features as he took in the damage to the right side of his protégé’s body, silently thankful the twins dressed her sometime when he was napping.

“I know that look. Stop it.” Nyx broke his silent contemplation.

“What?” he looked a bit like a deer in headlights.

“I said, ‘I know that look, stop it’.” She squeezed his hand and he could do nothing but stare. “That look on your face screams guilt. Stop it. This wasn’t your fault, it was just a run of bad luck. I’ll be fine soon enough, so stop looking like you personally did this to me.”

He slid a big hand over his face and sighed. “there’s so much I could’ve done to prevent this. I should’ve paid more attention to our surroundings, I could’ve engaged them instead of hoping to sneak by, I shouldn’t have fallen back, I should’ve gotten its attention sooner.” He looked her in the eyes. “I should’ve protected you better.” By the end, he was trying valiantly to hold his tears back, the many deaths and grave injuries his various teammates suffered weighing heavily on his mind.

Nyx squeezed Danse’s hand before moving to his cheek, wiping the stray tear away. “I should’ve been paying attention as well, that’s as much my fault as it is yours. And every other situation and possibility would’ve resulted in the both of us getting hurt and dying out there. You made a tactical decision that I would’ve made if the situation was reversed. You made the right call. You saved my life. The end. No ifs, ands or buts. You are the reason why I’m just banged up instead of getting measured for a pine box. Thank you for saving my life.”

He gave her a weak smile. “No need to thank me, I just wish it didn’t happen.”

“Heh, me too.” Nyx paused, collecting her thoughts before looking Danse in the eye. “I’m glad I have you in my life, you’re the best friend I could’ve asked for.”

That earned her a genuine smile. “I’m glad to have you as a friend too. Friendship doesn’t come easy to me, but I’m glad you stumbled into Cambridge that day. I couldn’t imagine roaming the Commonwealth with anyone else.”

Nyx gave a smile back, squeezing his hand again. She knew her road to recovery would take some time and patience, but she would handle it like any other challenge, and she would do it properly so she could continue her mission with her best friend by her side. Whatever the Commonwealth decided to throw her way, she knew she would overcome. Things were looking up in the bleakness of the wastelands.

**Author's Note:**

> While re-reading this to jog my memory of Nyx's injuries, I saw that a section somehow didn't transfer over correctly, so I will attempt to fix it. Sorry for any confusion!


End file.
